1 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
And support you from Zion! 3 May He remember all your meal offerings
And find your burnt offering acceptable ! Selah .
4 May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your counsel ! 5 We will sing for joy over your victory ,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. 8 They have bowed down and fallen,
But we have risen and stood upright. 9 Save , O LORD;
May the King answer us in the day we call.

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Book Review (02:21)

I was highly disappointed with this book. Pastor, leave this book alone.
“101 Indispensable Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Church”
I take the word “indispensable” to mean “absolutely necessary”. I would have been happier with the title being “101 Suggested Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Non-profit Organization.

Updated at 9:55PM Mountain Time on Jan. 20, 2014 with this link to a written book review at 9Marks.org. (A review is not an endorsement.)

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Free Book Offer (27:19)This offer is good from January 20-25, 2014. To enter, comment below with a suggestion for a book review.

16 Comments

shirley a. thompson

Paul . . . this Mom probably wasn’t smart enough to say “if you can’t say anything good about it, don’t say anything at all.” 😉 I do agree with the writer of Proverbs 23:11 “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” You have grabbled long and hard to measure your ministry against the plumb line of God’s Word. I see this review as a fair warning to pastors to not clamour after ways the world presents for success.

Chuck & Carol

Hello Paul from Chuck and Carol. We just found out about your podcast from our oldest and desired to listen in. So here we are cuddled up each with an ear bud. Carol first with the first book review. The book is called Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. Maybe Renee will have to review this one. My suggestion is Family Driven Faith. Now remember to put two names in the hat not just one. Oh by the way I might deliver my 3×5 card next Sunday. Ha. Good podcast!

Andy V.

Not to be outdone by my parents, I think I’ll submit some book suggestions and get in on the fray! I have not read these books, but they have interested me for a while and the overall premise intrigues me a lot. First is “Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns” by T. David Gordon and “Why Johnny Can’t Preach” also by T. David Gordon.

Well, great. I’ve already implemented 59 of the 101. Now what? Actually, I appreciated the book FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH. I’m always skeptical of these kind of books anyway. Any book that claims to apply to “every pastor” or every church makes me eager to disprove them. I’m always pretty certain that I’m the exception to the rule. So my expectations were pretty low.

As a rule-of-thumb type reference book I think I may find it useful (in spite of your warnings, you know, i’m the exception to the rule). But I certainly don’t expect it to guarantee growth or replace the leading of the Holy Spirit. What I might find useful when the time comes is knowing rule #72 that there should be about 80 square feet of space for each child on the playground. It’s good to know that because we will inevitably only have 60 square feet of space for each child. In which case I will have the chance to teach our childcare workers that suffering leads to character and helps us commune with Christ.

Their use of the word “indispensable” on the cover is unfortunate and probably wasn’t carefully considered. Would it have changed your review if the tagline had said, “101 Possibly useful observations about how many churches have operated”? I guess the title WHAT SOME PASTORS MIGHT WANT TO KNOW doesn’t carry the same weight. Anyway, I think your warning is very appropriate and not overstated at all. And with that warning ringing in my ears, I’ll probably still look up things in this book from time to time for informational purposes.

You should review…something by C.S. Lewis. Are you a fan? I have plenty of recommendations there. Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed. The Great Divorce. I don’t really keep up with the latest books, so I’m not much help there. Anyway, I don’t need the audio book. I’ve been radicalized already. Thanks for putting this out there.

Paul

Bennett,
if rules are meant to be broken what should be done with the thumbs? Good feed back.

After re-listening to this I wish I had been more gracious to the writers and endorsers while still holding to the strong feelings of the content of the book. My podcast was more of a critique than a review.

I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks, Lord willing. I’m going to check and see how your church building did with “indispensable” rule #68.

In the day that I write a book, I will want you to come up with a title. Will you endorse it?

I like C.S. Lewis… I’ve read most of these and would like doing a review (critique) of one of these. Have you read The Problem of Pain?

Yes, the Problem of Pain is a great one. I cannot pick a favorite. I’m now reading the Weight of Glory for the first time. I’m already realizing that I’ve been using the word “glory” quite a bit without really having a clear idea of what I meant.

Gen Ennis

Pastor Paul, I appreciate that you are willing to take a stand on these issues. I agree with Shirley—I have heard you speak of the plumb line of God’s word many times and know that you practice it diligently. By the way, your email didn’t say where you were or that you were giving away free gifts, only that you wouldn’t be in the office. 🙂

Paul

Post Production Regret: (5:20pm: January 22, 2014) Where I don’t change my position or opinion of the book review (critique) I wish I had expressed this with a kinder spirit than I did. I apologize for my arrogance. A more humble tone would have accomplished my point better.

Paul

Paul

Andy Vawser: Andy suggested two books and I think I’ll read them both. I will do a book review (critique) of “Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns” by T. David Gordon in the near future. Thanks for participating.

Andy V.

Paul

I hope you guys enjoy it. I should have told you about this part of the deal before you agreed to play along… a book review will be required in return… just kidding (kind of). I’d be interested in your thoughts though.